Transfer Talk pushes on as we near the window's halfway point. As always, here are all the news and rumours from around the globe, updated throughout the day...

TOP PICKS: Newcastle are set to go all out to sign Loic Remy from QPR after his Liverpool move never materialised. Chelsea have let Romelu Lukaku join Everton for £28 million. Mathieu Valbuena makes U-turn on move to Dynamo Moscow and agrees to join Russian club amid interest from QPR and West Ham. Morgan Schneiderlin hands in a transfer request to Southampton in order to push through move to Tottenham. Arsenal could sign William Carvalho from Sporting Lisbon on Thursday.

20.11 BST: Sporting Lisbon club director Augusto Ignacio told the club's television channel that they already have potential replacements for William Carvalho if he moves to Arsenal. He said: "It's not like the old days when players left Sporting at any price. We are not concerned with William Carvalho because we have alternatives who will want to play as well."

19.45 BST: Romelu Lukaku's move to Everton will go through, but a news conference has been delayed because of a hold up with his paperwork. Time to ask for more money?

18.55 BST: Lazio have announced the signing of Netherlands international centre-back Stefan de Vrij from Feyenoord on undisclosed terms.

18.40 BST: Barcelona forward Pedro has revealed his reasons for staying at the Nou Camp. "My plan has always been to stay here," he said. "Also, I knew that Luis Enrique was coming in and because I've had him as a coach and he knows me, those were the deciding factors for me to remain at the club. I never hesitated. [Barça] are my lifelong club and I'm delighted to be here for another year."

17.34 BST: Looks more like Twitter exploding than anything concrete but apparently William Carvalho is going to sign for Arsenal tomorrow. All off the back of an article in Record which said Sporting Lisbon were willing to sell again having initially put a forty million euro price-tag on his head.

17.30 BST: Phillippe Mexes has told Sky Sport Italia that he expects to stay at AC Milan and recover from the club's eighth place finish last season.

17.22 BST: Hellas Verona are a busy club this window and are reportedly closing in on a deal for Fiorentina defender Marvin Compper. According to Corriere del Veneto the clubs have both agreed a deal in principle and they are just waiting for the paperwork to be signed. Wolfsburg were said to be interested but the German wants to stay in Serie A.

17.16 BST: Great signing for Wednesday, there are very high hopes for Tom Lees.

17.11 BST: It's not just that Everton are going to sign Romelu Lukaku. Now it would seem Chelsea fans will now have to suffer the performances of Fernando Torres for another year.

17.08 BST: Newcastle will be happy to offload Hatem Ben Arfa for 12 million pounds with AC Milan very interested in securing the Frenchman's signature. The Daily Mail claim Newcastle would replace Ben Arfa with Sochaux midfielder Sanjin Prcic. However, reports from Holland are suggesting the Serbian winger could be on his way to FC Twente who have firmed up their interest with a two million bid.

17.01 BST: Algeria's heroic World Cup goalkeeper looks set for a move to the MLS with Philadelphia Union. His name-tag has been seen inside a press room at the club as well.

16.57 BST: ISCO COMPLETES MEDICAL WITH CHIEVO! Oh no wait, that's Izco. He plays for Catania. But he has completed the first part of his medical with Chievo though, that much is true according to reports.

16.55 BST: Valencia's Peter Lim-backed recruitment drive is steadily swinging into gear, with Los Ches set to announce the arrival of Colombian centre-back Éder Álvarez Balanta from Argentinian side River Plate for a reported fifteen million euros.

16.51 BST: Barcelona's Pedro believes selling Cesc Fabregas to Chelsea was a mistake Barcelona should never have made, he is quoted as saying.

16.45 BST: ESPN's own Kristan Heneage with his view on Sunderland's potential signings.

#SAFC making interesting moves. Atsu is explosive and Cavanda adds more pace again. Still think they need real quality in CM.

16.29 BST: Roma's Adem Ljajic has become a target for Broussia Dortmund and Schalke. The Serbian international is not for sale, as such, but Corriere dello Sport claim a deal could be struck if a high bid close to twenty million euros can be agreed. He still has three years left on his Roma contract.

16.22 BST: Napoli look set to make a move for Borussia Monchengladbach star Granit Xhaka who would cost no less than ten million euros according to Sky Sport Italia. The Italian club have grown frustrated at trying to lure Cristoph Kramer to Naples and so have turned their attention to his Swiss teammate.

16.10 BST: Aurelio De Laurentiis is hoping to bring in a legend of one sort but will allow another to leave the club. Goran Pandev is attracting interest from China according to Il Martino with Marcelo Lippi's Guangzhou Evergrande the likely destination.

16.06 BST: Napoli chief Aurelio De Laurentiis is hoping to convince Brazilian legend Ronaldinho to have another stint in Serie A. Il Giornale claim the Partenopei have enquired about his services and want to bring him in on a one-year deal. It is thought a move to Serie A is unlikely.

16.00 BST: Sorry for the Inter overkill but president Erick Thohir also said he hopes Fredy Guarin understands that he is putting Inter before any of the individual players' needs. He also said, he loves Guarin. How sweet.

15.52 BST: Inter Milan president Erick Thohir is hoping to have 22 players in the squad by the start of the season in order for Walter Mazzari to be able to compete on three fronts this season.

15.42 BST: A list of players available for transfer from Inter Milan has been leaked on Tuttosport website. The likes of Ricky Alvarez, Fredy Guarin, Saphir Taider and Hugo Campagnaro are all available. Ezequiel Schelotto and Matias Silvestre are also deemed surplus to requirements. Inter hope to raise some thirty million euros to re-invest in the squad.

15.37 BST: Another DONE DEAL in France.

Official: #Rennes have completed the signing of Christian Bruls from Gent. Spent last season on loan at Nice.

15.31 BST: Despite all the talk Ki Sung-Yueng is set to stay at Swansea City after Garry Monktold Wales Online he wants to show the South Korean the 'real' Swansea City after an unhappy first season and being farmed out on loan

15.25 BST: Sorry to bore you with Aston Villa things but there are also rumours they are after Man City's English wing flop Scott Sinclair.Reports claim the winger could be available for as little as three million euros.

15.23 BST: Aston Villa are having a busy day on the rumour mill as TalkSport claim potential target Aleksandr Kokorin would like to test himself in the Premier League one day. The Russian striker has been scouted by Paul Lambert before and it is thought his latest comments may attarct interest in the Dynamo Moscow front-man.

15.17 BST: Former Stoke and West Ham defender Abdoulaye Faye is set to sign for Charlton or Blackpool as both have identified the experienced defender as a target according to Football League World. He has also had stints at Newcastle, Bolton and most recently Hull City.

15.12 BST: Man Utd to miss out on another player?

Basacikoglu an excellent Dutch prospect, who was linked in the English press with Manchester United. Would be great signing for Feyenoord.

15.09 BST: Funny one this... The Metro are suggesting, not reporting, but suggesting Liverpool and Barcelona should do a swap deal involving Dani Alves and Daniel Agger.

15.02 BST: Southampton are set to challenge Liverpool to the signature of four million pound Argentine Marcos Rojoaccording to the Daily Star.

14.55 BST: Lazio have reportedly joined the race to sign Aston Villa defender Ron Vlaar in an attempt to re-unite him with his Netherlands teammate Stefan de Vrij who they have already signed. Aston Villa are hoping to renew his contract while Spurs and Southampton are also said to be keeping tabs on him.

14.41 BST: The Sun newspaper are reporting former Aston Villa and West Ham captain Nigel Reo-Coker has been offered a contract with Leeds United.

14.36 BST: The Liverpool Echo's Everton FC correspondent now confirming the deal. Can't see the reports from Belgium being too wrong now.

Confirmed. #Everton have completed a five-year deal for #Romelu Lukaku. Club will announce signing tonight. Massive coup for the Blues

14.33 BST: Crystal Palace's hopes of signing Serge Gnabry on loan have been dashed after the youngster decided to fight for his place at Arsenal. The Croydon Advertiser claimTony Pulis had been hopeful that with extra competition for places, Gnabry would be itching for first-team football elsewhere. That has not happened.

Serge Gnabry would rather continue his tutelage in a bit-part role at Arsenal than a first-team one at Crystal Palace.

14.27 BST: Sporting Lisbon are keeping tabs on FC Groningen's young striker Filip Kosticaccording to Portugese daily Record. The 21-year-old Serbian is flattered by the interest and is quoted a ssaying: "I admire what both Sporting and FC Porto have done to try to persuade the Groningen. Everyone knows where they were James Rodriguez, Di María, or Matic Markovic before becoming world renowned players."

High hopes for himself indeed...

14.20 BST:Daniel Osvaldo, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Juventus, is now just waiting for Inter's Algerian midfielder Sapher Taider to accept a move to Southampton before being able to return to Italy. Gazzetta dello Sport say the move would be a straight swap with the Saints happy to make a tangible loss on a player who joined them for just shy of 13 million pounds from Roma only a year ago, but who soon fell out of favour due to indiscipline.

14.14 BST: William Carvalho... There is still interest despite nothing in the papers, except in Portugal.

13.48 BST: HOWEVER! Hold your horses sports fans! Gazzetta dello Sport also say Romulo has received an 'interesting' offer from La Liga and that is why Hellas Verona are stalling on rubber-stamping the deal.

13.41 BST: With Juventus set to sign Romulo, Hellas Verona have already begun looking for a replacement. According to Il Gazzetta dello Sport Verona are close to signing Swedish teenager Gentrit Citaku and Nico Lopez from Udinese.

13.36 BST: Galatasaray have stolen in and reportedly signed Arsenal and Liverpool target Doria from Botafogo. Turkish newspaper AMK say Gala have agreed a year long loan worth two million euros and can sign him on a permanent deal in 12 months time for 12 million euros.

13.32 BST: Rolando's protracted move away from Porto looks set to continue as O Jogo report a mystery Russian club has entered the bidding. It was thought a move to Inter Milan would be pushed through but the Italian club are having trouble finding the cash and are hoping Rolando himself will terminate his contract to get a move on a free transfer.

13.19 BST: Portuguese side SC Beira-Mar are close to agreeing the termination of contracts of four of their players as they look to rebuild their squad according to O Jogo.Pedró, Califo, Agra and Nelson Barbosa are all close to the exit door and will be looking for new clubs.

13.15 BST: Well Romelu, you could have been a bit clearer! Is that a new chapter with Chelsea or someone else!?

13.13 BST: Il Gazzetta dello Sport claim Roma are set to increase their options in both attack and defence by signing Monaco's Yannick Ferreira Carrasco and Torino's Matteo Darmian. Though Monaco have attempted to offer their Portuguese winger a new deal Roma are said to still be confident of completing the signing.

13.05 BST: Argentina's penalty shoot-out hero Sergio Romero is set for a prolonged stay at Sampdoria after certain elements of paperwork were were not agreed between his club and buying club Benfica. According to O Jogo the Portuguese want to pay in the region of £5 million but Samp have upped their valuation after a convincing World Cup campaign.

Sergio Romero may have to wait a little longer while Benfica and Sampdoria negotiate a fee.

13.02 BST: Portuguese newspaper O Jogo has rubbished rumours that Helder Postiga could be on his way to Braga after Valencia decided he is no longer apart of their plans. A report in Super Deporte claimed a deal could happen but O Jogo say there is no chance of any transfer.

12.58 BST: Livorno are delighted to announce a partnership with AS Monaco which allows them to take three players on loan. L'Equipe say, though the players haven't been named yet, two of them will definitely be a striker and a central defender to be announced in the next few days.

12.55 BST: World Cup winner Youri Djorkaeff... no we haven't gone back in time, he won it in 1998 with France and can be described as such... has seen his son Oan sign for Evian TG from St Etienne.

12.48 BST: Nigerian striker Emanuel Emenike says he is concentrating on Fenerbahce while on holiday but upon his return will find out whether there have been any offers for him. Chelsea and Tottenham are said to be interested but africanfootball.com quotes the striker as saying: "Like I said, I am happy in Istanbul. I am not desperate for any move away from Fenerbahce. If there were official offers then my club will be responsible."

12.41 BST: One of the hottest striking talents in Europe could be on his way to Genoa according to reports in Italy. A host of clubs are said to be after Lukasz Teodorczyk of Lech Poznan who banged in 23 goals and assisted a further nine last season. But it is Genoa who lead the race for the 4.5 million euro man.

12.37 BST: Almost the biggest news of the day. Almost.

*BREAKING* POGBA HAS MOVED TO PESCARA!! Paul's brother Mathias has moved from Crewe Alexandra to the Serie B club.

12.31 BST: A report in French magazine Le 10 Sport claims Roma's Mattia Destro could be about to sign for Wolfsburg in Germany. The Bundesliga club were after Romelu Lukaku but have been priced out of a move and so could turn their attention to Destro who has found playing time hard to come by under Rudi Garcia.

12.26 BST: Everyone's favourite World Cup goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa is set for a move to Malaga according to AS. After his contract at Ajaccio ran out this summer he has been in search of a new club and it would appear he has finally found one.

12.18 BST: Chelsea sending the kids out on loan. Not like they'd get a game with Jose Mourinho there anyway!

12.12 BST: Manchester United's pursuit, if there ever truly was one, of Wesley Sneijder has ended after it emerged today the Dutchman is looking to extend his contract with Galatasaray. The midfielder met Cesare Prandelli and the pair have come to a mutual agreement about where they want the club to go.

Wesley Sneijder could soon be celebrating a new three year contract with Galatasaray.

11.57 BST: Another player Southampton have been linked with, now being touted for a move to another club. Bad news. Apparently has only one year left on his Man City deal and Feyenoord have cash to spend.

Been told Feyenoord are going to come back in for MCFC's John Guidetti. Would be good for him to move permanently to where he did so well.

11.53 BST: Real Madrid have sneakily tried to include Marco Verratti into any deal with PSG involving Angel di Maria. El Mundo Deportivo claim the French champions are trying to lower the price of the Argentine and that Carlo Ancelotti has specifically asked for Los Blancos to try and get Verratti, who he himself signed for PSG three years ago.

11.47 BST: According to a report from GloboEsporte.com, PSG owner Sheikh Nasser Al-Khelaifi rejected a Barcelona bid of 43 million euros for Marquinhos and is hoping to give the young Brazilian a huge new contract to ward off further interest.

Marquinhos says goodbye to a move to Barcelona as he negotiates a new contract with PSG.

11.42 BST: Steven Defour's future is still in some doubt as PSV drag their heels over a transfer.

PSV are not giving up on signing Steven Defour and are still in talks with Porto. However PSV are still only willing to offer €5 million.

11.35 BST: PSG could finally wrap up the signing of Angel di Maria from Real Madrid before next Monday according to a report in AS. The French champions will sign the Argentine for 75 million euros and give him a 5 million euro bonus. Bayern Munich were said to have made a late enquiry for di Maria but were told the player had already agreed terms with PSG.

11.30 BST: Despite reports yesterday claiming Daniel Agger of Liverpool was close to a £12 million move to Barcelona, El Mundo Deportivo now claim the Catalan giants will either go for Thomas Vermaelen of Arsenal or Marquinhos of PSG.

11.24 BST: A report in AS claimsKeylor Navas, who yesterday remember was growing impatient for the transfer to go through, will join Real Madrid from Levante. The deal is said to be worth a toal 10 million euros though will be paid in instalments.

11.20 BST: And another on a potential signing for Southampton. Yes, SOUTHAMPTON!

Southampton very keen on Saphir Taider and trying to take him as part of Pablo Osvaldo move to Inter Milan.

11.10 BST: Fabio Borini's move to Sunderland could be back on after the striker suffered a shoulder injury and has returned to the UK from Liverpool's pre-season trip to the US. The Daily Mail claim Sunderland will seek further talks with the Italian in the hope of persuading to join the Black Cats permanently. Read the full story here.

11.06 BST: Ron Vlaar is set for showdown talks with Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert this weekend according to the Mirror. Apparently he wants to discuss the interest from Southampton amid rumours he is set for a bumper pay rise should he stick with the Villans.

11.00 BST: West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has told TalkSport that he is hopeful of signing Carl Jenkinson from Arsenal on a one-year loan deal 'within the next 24 hours.'

10.53 BST: Ever wonder why some transfers take so long to go through? Here's a quick snippet about add-ons and fees owed to previous clubs on the transfer of Jan Oblak from Benfica to Atletico. No wonder it gets complicated.

Olimpija got €2m from Oblak's transfer from Benfica to Atletico. He brought €3.7m to Olimpija (inc. €1.7m to Benfica) http://t.co/NGlRL0857G

10.49 BST: Southampton have apparently set their sights on Jonathan Biabany of Parma as they look to rebuild a seriously depleted squad, according to Sky Italia. The report claims West Brom are also interested though and the pair will face-off in a battle for his signature. Music to Saints fans ears, no?

10.45 BST: Brits abroad! This blog loves a Brit abroad and former Celtic winger Tony Watt looks like he is enjoying his first day at Standard Liege.

10.40 BST: Reports are also re-emerging, having first been reported by the Metro months ago, that Spurs are also going to try and bring Bayern Munich winger Julian Green to White Hart Lane. An 8 million pound fee was mooted but there has been nothing to suggest Spurs have lodged any interest since the initial reports. However, the added line that he will replace Aaron Lennon has been included.

10.33 BST: Rather bizarrely, Spurs have been linked with a move for Real Madrid's Isco, according to reports. The Spanish club have a 'strategic partnership' with Tottenham which has so far seen Spurs lose Gareth Bale and Luka Modric to Los Blancos though it is thought Daniel Levy is hoping to take advantage of this and head the queue looking for Isco's services. Liverpool and Man City are also interested.

10.20 BST: Monaco are at the head of the queue to sign Nico Gaitan from Benfica for a reported 45 million euros according to Mercato 365. Manchester United and Atletico Madrid were said to be interested but following the sale of James Rodriguez, Monaco look set to make the capture. In order to make room for the forward though Monaco have had to sell Nicolas Isimat-Mirin to St-Etienne who will replace Kurt Zouma for Les Verts.

10.12 BST: QPR have re-iterated to Loic Remy to either commit to the club or find a new one as quickly as possible, according to a report in West London Sport. The R's don't want to be sweating on finding a striker late in the window should a transfer be dragged out until close to the end of the window leaving Harry Redknapp possibly a striker short going into the new season.

10.07 BST: Yet anothe talent heading off to the riches of Qatari football. Lots of that going on this summer!

Het Nieuwsblad reporting that Standard's Imoh Ezekiel will play his last game for the club tonight before joining Qatar's Al-Arabi. 1/3

10.04 BST: A whole host of clubs are after Watford hitman Troy Deeney but are being put off by his 10 million pound valuation. QPR, Leicester, Burnley and Swansea are all keen on signing the striker according to the Watford Advertiser.

10.00 BST: Didn't realise general football legends such as Eidur Gudjohnsen still had to go on trial at clubs... A new development though, and apparently the Icelander is just training with the club while his son is playing a tournament nearby.

Former Chelsea and Barcelona striker Eidur Gudjohnsen (35) is on trial at Danish club Odense Boldklub. #sldk#sldktransfers

09.54 BST: ROMELU LUKAKU UPDATE! And it is probably not that exciting to hear that Monaco have now joined the race to sign the Belgian from Chelsea according to Mercato 365.

09.50 BST: More from the Marouane Fellaini deal, apparently Napoli's director of sport Riccardo Bigon is on his way to Manchester to thrash out a deal for the Belgian midfielder. However Gazzetta dello Sport also claim Bigon is going to head to Bayer Leverkusen as well to discuss a deal for midfielder Cristoph Kramer.

The big Belgian may soon be celebrating a move away from Manchester United to resurrect a faltering career.

09.45 BST: Man Utd want to sell Marouane Fellainiaccording to Il Corriere dello Sport but his only suitors, Napoli, are reluctant to stump up the 15 million pounds required for his signature. They would prefer a loan move with a view to a permanent deal next year.

09.38 BST:Javier Hernandez' future at Manchester United is far from certain and it looks like Atletico Madrid and Diego Simeone have put their hat in the ring. Read the full story here.

09.33 BST: Another Man City star set for a stay is Edin Dzeko who has told reporters he is extremely happy at the club and is negotiating a new contract to extend his time at the club.

09.27 BST: After the birthday cake fiasco just a few months ago, Yaya Toure has told Man City's official website that he plans on a long stay at Manchester City. In other words, his agent couldn't find him a buyer and so he is having to rem

09.21 BST: Hull City, fresh off the back of signing young defender Harry Maguire from Sheffield United, are looking into the possibility of bringing vastly experienced former Fulham defender Brede Hangeland to he KC Stadium, according to the Hull Daily Mail

09.15 BST: Former Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia, who was most recently found playing for Watford in the Championship, has signed a one-year deal with Italian Serie A side Cagliari according to reports.

09.10 BST: West Brom look set to make yet another signing this summer, this time Costa Rica's Cristian Gamboa.

09.07 BST: France's tiny talent Mathieu Valbuena is set to make a u-turn on his decision not to join Dynamo Moscow and will now sign for the Russian club. L'Equipe are reporting the offers from QPR and West Ham were not satisfactory for the attacker and that a move to Spain was never going to materialise. He will now earn three million euros per year on a three year deal in Russia instead, poor guy!

Mathieu Valbuena has changed his mind over a move to Russia after interest from QPR and West Ham.

09.03 BST: It's all going on at Celtic where it appears Virgil van Dijk is a target for numerous clubs across England.

09.00 BST: The future of PSV's wonderkid with attitude Zakaria Bakkali has been up in the air for a while now. And looks set to continue to be up in the clouds. However, several reports suggest Atletico are definitely interested.

Marcel Brands (PSV) to VI: "Atlético are really interested in Bakkali. They know what we want and I think we can reach an agreement." (1/2)

08.37 BST:Marca reports that Chelsea are not giving up on signing Miranda as Jose Mourinho continues his attempts to sign every player in the Atletico Madrid squad. Apparently the Blues' last bid was 25 million euros, but Atletico are demanding 30 million euros -- the value of his release clause -- and hope to convince the defender to stay put in any case.

08.16 BST:Louis van Gaal says Manchester United do want to sign defenders -- having lost Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra this summer -- but is assessing those currently at his disposal for now.

"I am looking at the defenders we have first," Van Gaal said. "And when you see our three matches [in preseason], we are doing well I think, but it is right that we are looking for defenders because a lot of defenders have gone. We have to replace them but I like also like Michael Keane and Tyler Blackett."

07.48 BST: Football365.fr reports that Evian-Thonon-Gaillard are close to completing the signing of Lille forward Gianni Bruno, 22, who spent last season on loan at Bastia.

07.25 BST: Monaco striker Radamel Falcao followed Gareth Bale, Isco and Sami Khedira all at once on Instagram on Tuesday, AS reports. Make of that what you will.

07.10 BST:Newcastle are monitoring Lyon midfielder Clement Grenier's situation, according to the Chronicle, but AC Milan have also been linked.

Core aims

Plenty of Wednesday's newspapers lead with a deal that -- apparently -- is not happening, although you'd be brave to reach that conclusion at the rate Southampton are shedding players.

The Guardian is among those to have more on the Saints' resolution to keep hold of Morgan Schneiderlin and Jay Rodriguez, both courted by Spurs, as "part of the core that we have decided to keep at Southampton." That quote comes from chairman Ralph Krueger, whose decision-making might just be called into question slightly when the departures he's already sanctioned are taken into account.

Schneiderlin's Twitter outburst would suggest that this horse might have bolted -- and you wonder whether a formal transfer request would now be enough to either player to leave this listing ship.

There is news in the Sun that Newcastle are back in for Loic Remy, the QPR striker whose move to Liverpool broke down in somewhat mysterious circumstances. Remy's options appear to be few now, and a move back to a club where he scored 14 goals in 27 Premier League games last term might seem a safe bet.

If this one did come off, it would make Newcastle's summer dealings -- which have seen Daryl Janmaat and Remy Cabella come through the door -- look pretty sound. As well as giving them two players with the name "Remy."

And a Lacazette with that, sir?

Would that be instead of, or as well as, Lyon's Alexandre Lacazette? Well, it would be nice to have the choice. The Newcastle Chronicle is quieter on the Remy rumours but says the Magpies have put in an offer for the 23 year-old, who scored 15 Ligue 1 goals last season and 23 in total.

He is rated at 20 million euros by a French side that are traditionally tough negotiators -- but, Remy or no Remy, this would be an exciting one, and perhaps Newcastle's best incursion yet into the French market, if Alan Pardew could pull it off.

Chelsea play hardball

Romelu Lukaku has never had the best of relations with his parent club, and that might not be about to change. The Telegraph says that the Belgian striker has been told to join Chelsea's squad for training on Wednesday; that's hardly a story in itself, but the Stamford Bridge club have apparently put a price tag of 30 million pounds on an asset whom Everton, his loan side of last term, have been planning to prise away for 23 million pounds.

Everton aren't the only ones interested, and there's even talk that Real Madrid are on the case; you suspect that this one is going to carry on for some time yet.

Sold Medel?

Well, maybe. Inter Milan are still keen on Cardiff's Gary Medel, but the Welsh club is playing hardball over a fee. The Gazzetta dello Sport says that won't deter Inter, who "developed the patience of Job" when negotiating with Rubin Kazan for Yann M'Vila.

They have an alternative if it finally wears thin, though -- apparently they'll go in for Napoli's Swiss, and ex-West Ham, midfielder Valon Behrami if they can't break the Bluebirds' resolve.